[Z-man]

This gives me pause when I consider installing a smart thermostat... Careful what you sign up for...

Texas power companies heated up some customers' homes last week by remotely controlling their smart thermostats, KHOU 11 reported Thursday.

One resident in the state, which is facing a heat wave that is straining its power grid, told KHOU 11 his family had awoken from a nap sweating and shocked their home had gotten as hot as 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

It turns out they had enrolled their thermostats in an energy-conservation promotion called Smart Savers Texas, run by a company called EnergyHub, in partnership with power companies. The program gives EnergyHub permission to adjust participants' smart thermostats remotely during times of peak energy demand, in exchange for entry into a sweepstakes.

https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-energy-companies-remotely-raised-smart-thermostats-temperatures-2021-6#:~:text=Texas%20power%20companies%20automaticall y%20raised,middle%20of%20a%20heat%20wave&text=Texas%20power%20companies%20remotely%20adjust ed,the%20temperature%20to%20save%20energy.